Free Republic

German authorities have banned the most influential internet website of Antifa – the country's militant left -- in the wake of violence that occured last month outside the G20 summit in Hamburg. In an unprecedented move against violent left-wing extremism, Germany’s Interior Ministry informed the owners of the left-wing site about the crackdown Friday, the Local reported. Interior Minister Thomas de Maizière claimed the website helped incite the violence in Hamburg and warned of “serious consequences” of left-wing radicalism, the New York Times reported. “The prelude to the G-20 summit in Hamburg was not the only time that violent actions...

Two San Jose brothers mauled by a tiger at the San Francisco Zoo on Christmas Day have refused to allow police to examine their cell phones for possible text messages or photos believed to be taken the day of a tiger's escape. In a letter sent Friday to the brothers' attorney, celebrity lawyer Mark Geragos, San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera asked that Paul and Kulbir Dhaliwal preserve "this potentially critical evidence." "The digital content of your clients' cell phones, which we understand are currently in the possession of the police, may help reconstruct what happened at the tiger exhibit...

<p>An empty vodka bottle was also found in a car used by Amritpal Dhaliwal, 19, and his brother, Kulbir, 23, on the day of the mauling, which left 17-year-old Carlos Sousa Jr. dead, according to the source.</p> <p>The discoveries could be an indication that the brothers may have taunted the 350-pound Siberian tiger before it leapt from its grotto.</p>

TIJUANA, Mexico - The police department has issued about 60 slingshots to officers in the violent border city of Tijuana, where soldiers confiscated police weapons two weeks ago on allegations of collusion with drug traffickers. Municipal police spokesman Fernando Bojorquez said Monday that the slingshots, along with bags of ballbearings, were given to officers patrolling areas of the city visited by tourists. Tijuana's police force of 2,000 officers has been without guns since Jan. 5, but some patrol alongside armed state police. President Felipe Calderon sent 3,300 soldiers and federal police to Tijuana at the beginning of January to hunt...

FRANCE and Germany agreed yesterday on a new defence arm that will enable the EU to carry out military operations independent of Nato. Just as Tony Blair was making clear his opposition to any move that could undermine Nato, the leaders of France, Germany, Belgium and Luxembourg decided at a summit in Brussels to set up a “multi- national deployable force headquarters” for non-Nato operations. Speaking as he flew to Moscow to see President Putin, Mr Blair said that he hoped that “people realised the only basis upon which European defence could go forward is if it is fully compatible...